//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3 - Cultural Exchange 
// Story: The New Equestria - All Creatures Welcome! 
// by Yosh-E-O 
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Becky had a wide smile across her beak as she gathered all the ingredients and tools for Swift to make her Budgin Coconut Brownies.  So many wonderful memories filled her mind and, perhaps for the first time since moving to Canterlot, she started to see a happy future with the ponies and her fellow immigrants.

“Do you have any fish?” the little penguin asked.  “I should probably be having some lunch before I just eat brownies.”

The blue, black-spotted elder adjusted her glasses while trying to think on how to answer.
“Well,” she said.  “Where I am from, we mostly eat fruits, bugs, and nuts.”

“That’s okay,” Swift replied while scooting out of his chair and heading into the tiny living room area.  “My parents packed me a pouch of Tasty Tuna in case I got hungry.”

Becky thought for a moment.
“What is it like where you come from?” she asked with genuine curiosity.

The young penguin got out his vacuum-sealed lunch and opened it.
“It’s really cool!” he chirped.  “Both in the temperature and fun way!”

Becky grabbed a napkin and a plate and sat it at a different spot on the table.
“Really?” she continued to ask.  “What is the most fun thing you do back from where you are from?”

Swift hopped into the seat and emptied his tuna onto the plate.
“Belly sledding!” he beamed with joy.  “There is a big slope near our home back home that makes you go super fast and then gets you out into the open water!”

“Ooh!” Becky said while imagining such a form of entertainment.  “Reminds me of the water parks we have back from where I am from.”

“What’s a water park?” the young penguin asked while eating at his tuna.

Becky went to the fridge for some lemonade she had prepared earlier.
“There is no snow where I come from,” she replied.  “So, for fun in the water, we built large bathing areas where we can all privately, or publicly, groom ourselves.  These places often have special pools with slides and planks for Budgin of all ages to play about in fresh water instead of the salty waters of the ocean.”

“Fresh water?” wondered Swift.  “Is it that water that tastes and feels funny in the bathroom?”

Becky delighted in the young penguin’s curiosity while placing a wooden cup of lemonade in front of him to drink.
“That would be it,” she replied.  “It is water without the salt.  Though, now that I think about it, I think the ponies put other things in the water to make it ‘cleaner’?”

“Cleaner?” wondered the little penguin as he finished his tuna and went for the lemonade.  “Water is clean where I am from.  Water doesn’t need anything to make it ‘better’.”

“Perhaps,” added the apron-wearing elder bird.  “You and I can take a trip around Canterlot to learn more about what the ponies do with their water?  I know you’ve made me curious to find out.”

Swift flapped his flippers at his sides as he giggled merrily.
“Kind of like a field trip?” he asked.  “I love getting to go to fun places and learn new things!”

Becky allowed herself a jovial guffaw as she placed a wing on the young penguin’s shoulder.
“We can do all that when you come over to my place while we wait for your parents to get off of work,” she stated.  “It will be a great way to pass the time.”

PUNP-PUNP
CA-CLICK

“Sorry about that,” Yosh said as he used his ‘Sight Stick’ to get back to his chair.  “How is everything?”

Becky poured a glass of lemonade and put it in front of the dragon-duck.
“Swift and I were just talking about where we came from,” she replied while gently using her wing on the wooden cup to help the blind dragon-duck safely take hold of it.  “I understand you are not quite sure where you are from and have traveled to many places.”

Swift finished his tuna, slipped out of his chair, and returned to where all the baking supplies were.

“Well,” pondered Yosh while tapping a finger to his bill.  “What I have talked about with Doodle Noodle has gotten me to think of how I’ve lived in two places with each one being a life of its own.”

The young penguin was confused, but quickly distracted as Becky brought out her recipe book and started helping him mix the ingredients.
“I think I understand,” she replied.  “Kind of like moving to Canterlot was the start of a new life for me.”  

Yosh’s head moved about as if he was trying to find something.
“Yeah,” he stated upon attempting to look to where he had heard Becky’s voice.  “Everything is brand new and wonderful to discover.”

“Who’s Doodle Noodle?” inquired Swift as he started to stir a mixture of cocoa, coconut, and milk that had been properly measured and placed into the mixing bowl.  “Sounds like what we call squids.”

Yosh and Becky both laughed.

“Doodle Noodle is a pony,” Yosh answered.  “She used to see me almost daily to help me be okay with losing my eyesight.”

“But you have eyes?” continued swift while the elder Budgin put a little pat of butter into the mixture.  “You see with eyes and you have two that, being weird, are still eyes.”

Becky was going to say something, but noticed that Yosh was smiling.

“It’s hard to explain,” the green-and-white colored dragon-duck stated while nervously stroking his upper-most head spike.  “My eyes being the color of snow and ice are a way that they let others know I can’t see anything with them.  They are broken beyond repair.”

It was Swift’s turn to make some fun, facial gestures as he thought on what he was just told.  
“Ice isn’t blue,” he replied as he mixed the batter that Becky had added small amounts of sugar, cinnamon, and salt to.  “Ice is white like my tummy.”

Yosh blushed.
“Good point,” he said with a little giggle.  “I may need my friend, Isabelle, to help better explain.”

“The yellow doggy?” asked Swift.  “She has funny teeth.”

Becky placed a wing gently upon Swift’s shoulder.
“Perhaps Yosh can tell us about Canine Crossroads?” she suggested.

Yosh’s stubby tail wiggled as he placed his hands upon the table.
“That I can tell you about,” he said.  “It’s about a day’s train ride away from here and part of The Nook Nation.”

“Nook Nation?” wondered Becky while grabbing a cookie sheet and using some butter to prep it for the brownies Swift was going to make.  “That’s a most interesting name.”

“It is,” Yosh replied while drumming his fingers on the table and sliding about on his seat.  “It is a region of land owned by a raccoon by the name of Tom Nook.  He’s the eighth Nook to oversee the country.  Though, as I have come to learn, he is primarily concerned in money.  He only comes to Canine Crossroads to ask us what we may need from the national stockpile, give us prices for building things, and to collect tax for the space our town takes up within his family’s country.”

What kind of money do you use?” asked Becky.  “Our archipelago uses ‘Biddles’.  However the biddle is not usually used as our people primarily focus in trading resources and services for what we need.”

“We use ‘Pebbles’,” stated Swift as he started to use his flippers to make balls from the mixture to put on the cookie sheet.  “They are hard to find and only spent if you could not get what you needed by yourself from the glacier, or ocean.”

“We use ‘Bells’,” stated Yosh.  “Bells are oak leaves that have been covered with different amounts of silver and gold to show their value.”

“Ah!” Becky chirped.  “Kind of like how Equestrians have the ‘Bit’?  Most exchanges are done with bits, to my knowledge.”

“Kind of,” stated Yosh as he shuffled in his chair.  This time Becky took notice of the rustling sound that accompanied the dragon-duck’s movements.

Swift was losing interest in talking about money.  So, not wanting to draw unnecessary attention to her guest, Becky changed the subject.
“Perhaps I can come visit your town?” she suggested while helping the little penguin arrange all the unbaked brownies on the cookie sheet.

“Ooh!” clapped Swift.  “Could that be one of our field trips, too, Ms. Becky?”

The elder Budgin felt so many wonderful emotions with Swift having taken to her.  She was very worried at the start, but it would seem he was going to be just like her grandchildren.  It was nice to feel needed as well as wanted.
“Well,” she chuckled while patting the penguin on his head.  “I think your mommy and daddy will need to be a part of that long of a trip.”

It was Swift’s turn to wiggle about merrily in his seat.
“I’ll ask!” he cheered.  “You are such fun, Ms. Becky!  You’re almost as good as the ‘Big Daddy’ at ‘Hatchling Care’!”

“Thank you, Swift,” she complimented while putting the uncooked brownies into the oven and setting a timer for thirty minutes.  “How about we clean off the table and play a game while we wait for our brownies to finish?”
“Ooh!” wiggled Swift.  “Can I use your bathroom before we play?”

“Sure thing,” she assured while gesturing to the door that Yosh had been directed to.  “Don’t forget to wash your hands.”

Swift made his way into the bathroom and shut the door while Becky realized there may be a problem.  However Yosh appeared unconcerned as they shared more words while their young friend attended to his business.

End Of Part 3